NOVPUBAfter leaving the apothecary, Ludger moved on toward his next objective.
As he stepped out, he caught sight of Chris Bennimore and the lab assistant staring at him in shock—but he paid them no mind.
Seeing the twenty blue pills in his possession, Ludger felt fully satisfied with the result.
‘I suppose I owe this to Bellaruna.’
The mana recovery pills he had created incorporated knowledge from Bellaruna, an executive member of the organization.
Though eccentric, Bellaruna was an elf and a specialist in pharmacology, with deep expertise in countless herbs.
Her skills far surpassed those of most mages or alchemists who specialized in medicine. That was why this level of concoction had been possible.
‘She did warn me not to use them unless it was absolutely necessary, given the risks.’
But when in life did things ever go smoothly?
Ludger needed to be prepared for any situation—and that meant keeping these pills on hand.
‘Next, I need someone to handle things in my place.’
Of course, he had already thought that part through.
Ludger quickly organized his thoughts.
‘First Order Esmeralda. She’ll make her move on the final day of the festival—to kill Krolro Febius.’
But she planned to move alone, without any subordinates.
That was why Joanna Lovett was taking separate, independent action.
‘That side needs to be dealt with while I have the chance.’
Ludger didn’t know exactly what Joanna was plotting, but if she was gathering members, it couldn’t be simple.
Big or small, if problems cropped up, it would be a nuisance for him too.
So he intended to cut the weed before it could grow.
‘But the group is divided into two teams preparing separately.’
One group could be handled preemptively before Esmeralda made her move.
The other was too far away—unreachable in time.
Ludger’s top priority was First Order Esmeralda.
He didn’t have the luxury to waste time on Second or Third Order members.
‘If I miss the festival’s last day, I might not get another chance.’
If this opportunity slipped by, who knew when the next one would come?
So he needed someone else to deal with Joanna’s group while he focused on Esmeralda.
And naturally...
Ludger knew exactly who was fit for the job.
‘Aidan.’
With his anti-magic abilities, Aidan should be more than capable of handling lower-ranking Black Dawn members.
Of course, entrusting such a task to a student carried its own risks.
‘But leaking information to other teachers or to Seorn’s administration would be even more dangerous.’
Ludger preferred to leave no trail behind.
Loose ends would only lead to trouble.
In unavoidable situations, he might take that risk—but there was no need now.
‘Given Aidan’s current skills, dealing with the Black Dawn’s grunts will be no issue.’
Not that he would have placed such a bet if Aidan were alone.
But Aidan had reliable allies at his side.
Taishy Friad—though a fallen noble, she possessed exceptional magical talent.
Leo—a commoner with a sharp mind and quick wit.
And most recently, Iona Obelli—a descendant of the beastkin tribe chief.
Together, they were more than enough to form a solid force.
‘With Leo as the voice of reason, they won’t rush into things recklessly. At the very least, they’ll have safety measures in place.’
If Aidan was a rampaging tank fueled by justice, Leo was the brake that kept it from running off the rails.
They complemented each other’s weaknesses—it was a perfect balance.
Ludger came to a halt.
The dormitory building for male students came into view.
He glanced up at the windows from outside, estimating by eye.
Then he pulled out a small note from his pocket.
‘Leo’s room is on the fourth floor.’
Ssshh.
The paper in Ludger’s hand was enveloped in shadow—and vanished.
It reappeared moments later, directly in front of Leo’s door on the fourth floor.
‘He’s smart. With just this information, he’ll figure out what to do on his own.’
Ludger then took out a small communicator and placed it in his ear.
“Hans. Can you hear me?”
[Hear you loud and clear.]
“How’s Krolro Febius?”
[Still holed up in his room. I’ve been watching—he hasn’t moved.]
Ludger had tasked Hans with keeping an eye on Krolro Febius.
He wanted to prevent any impulsive behavior like last time.
Fortunately, Krolro hadn’t caused any trouble yet.
‘Maybe he’s half given up.’
If he stayed put, it was one less thing to worry about.
‘All that’s left is to wait for tomorrow.’
The sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon.
The final confrontation was set for tomorrow evening.
‘Let’s do this.’
* * *
‘Boring.’
Outside, the festival was in full swing.
Leo strolled down the dormitory hallway at a leisurely pace.
‘I thought I’d take a look around, but there wasn’t much that caught my interest.’
The energetic atmosphere of the festival was the complete opposite of Leo’s calm and solitary nature.
So he had wandered a bit before deciding to return to the dorm.
‘It’s already the fourth day. The festival ends tomorrow. I’ll just read in my room till then.’
Aidan was bound to bother him again on the last day, but that was a problem for later.
With that thought, Leo reached his room—then narrowed his eyes when he saw a piece of paper lying at the door.
‘What’s this?’
He picked it up and immediately scanned the surroundings.
No one was nearby. No sign anyone had passed by.
‘Doesn’t look like someone dropped it by accident...’
Thinking so, he unfolded the paper and began to read.
“...This is...”
His expression changed in an instant.
The boredom on his face vanished without a trace.
‘If what’s written here is true...’
This was no ordinary matter.
Worried someone might see him, Leo quickly stepped inside his room.
Sitting at his desk, he read the note over and over again, making sure he hadn’t misread anything.
‘This is serious.’
It said subversive elements had infiltrated the academy and were plotting something on the final day of the festival.
Most people would’ve dismissed it as a prank.
But Leo didn’t.
‘There have already been whispers of suspicious individuals within the academy.’
He didn’t know who sent the note—but it was clear this wasn’t a joke.
Leo calmly processed the situation.
Whoever sent it remained completely anonymous—he had no way to trace them.
But the real question was: why had it been sent to him?
‘No way...’
Leaning back in his chair, Leo tilted his head—then his eyes snapped open.
‘Do they know who I am?’
He quickly sat upright and read the note again with trembling hands.
It contained detailed information about the infiltrators inside Seorn.
On the surface, it looked like someone just passing on intelligence.
But Leo recognized the deeper message hidden within it.
—I know your identity.
‘The sender is telling me that directly.’
That must be why the note had been delivered to him—and only him.
A Liberation Army special intelligence agent.
Leo clenched his jaw.
He didn’t know how they’d figured out his identity—but what angered him more was the fact that they were trying to use him so blatantly.
And beneath that anger, fear crept in.
‘Whoever this is... they’re terrifying. They know who I am—and instead of turning me in, they’re trying to use me.’
The strength drained from his clenched fist.
Leo gave a bitter laugh.
“Yeah. I guess this is my karma.”
He never liked this job.
The Liberation Army had forced him into it—assigned him a role against his will.
He’d been swayed by sentiment and failed to say no when he should have.
They didn’t want to lose a commoner with talent in magic.
So they pressured his acquaintances to pull him in. Threatened him, half like a hostage.
In the end, he’d surrendered.
‘Liberation, my ass. For the people? What a joke.’
Leo hated nobles.
But that didn’t mean he supported the Liberation Army’s indiscriminate terrorism.
Liberation for the people?
Yet they had no problem oppressing fellow commoners.
That was why Leo developed a deep distrust in people—and had never tried to befriend anyone at Seorn.
Not until he met Aidan.
‘...Still. If this intel is real, and the sender has a clear motive in giving it to me...’
Then he had no choice but to follow it—for now.
‘But I’ll find out who you are. No matter what.’
Leo rushed out of his room.
Now that he had this information, he planned to discuss it with Aidan.
The important thing was how to present it.
‘I’ll pretend I overheard something by chance, and suggest we report it to the instructors naturally.’
He ran a mental simulation of the entire conversation.
Right then, he spotted Aidan in the distance.
Was he looking for Leo too?
The moment Aidan saw him, he ran straight over and yelled before Leo could even speak.
“Leo! I just saw someone suspicious!”
“...What?”
Alarmed by Aidan’s tone, Leo responded calmly.
“...Tell me everything.”
“Yeah!”
Aidan explained everything he’d just experienced.
He saw a suspicious person, followed them secretly, and ended up overhearing a meeting and a hushed conversation.
‘Wait... this is...’
Leo froze.
‘It’s exactly the same as the note I found.’
Apparently, Aidan had already uncovered the mysterious organization—before Leo even said a word.
“Leo. What do we do now?”
Seeing Aidan flustered and unsure made Leo realize just how foolish his own hesitation had been.
And once again, it hit him.
This guy really is a magnet for trouble.
* * *
A night so dark that even moonlight dared not reach it.
The woman quietly opened her eyes.
In the pitch black, her crimson irises glimmered with an eerie light.
‘Night already.’
While she slept, she had dreamed of the past.
An old, and even [N O V E L I G H T] nostalgic, memory of that day.
A field of flowers, a wide green meadow.
The wind carried curious stories, and there were always people who smiled at her.
And the nun who raised her like a mother.
She had lacked for nothing.
The world was so beautiful, so warm—she had no reason to ask for anything more.
But that happiness was mercilessly crushed by a noble.
—Aagh! Spare me!
—Please! At least save the child!
—Mama! Where are you!
Screams echoed amid roaring flames.
A massacre delivered for no other reason than that they had dared defy him.
No matter how much she tried to forget, the nightmare of that day haunted her without end.
—It’s your fault.
—If only you had left quietly, this wouldn’t have happened.
—We should never have accepted you!
The grudges of the dead spewed curses at her like blood.
In the dream, the people stared at her with eyes full of tears and blood.
The countless voices throbbed inside Esmeralda’s skull.
And the nun who had raised her, the woman she trusted and followed like a mother—
She opened her mouth to speak.
Each time, Esmeralda covered her ears.
She didn’t want to hear resentment from that woman—at the very least.
—......
—......
It was hell.
Though she had escaped hell, Esmeralda still lived within it.
To end this hell, she needed revenge.
She had to get revenge.
“...Just a little more. Just one more step.”
Curled up, Esmeralda whispered with a trembling voice.
Tomorrow night—
Her revenge would be complete when she killed Krolro Febius.
Since the Great Fire of Roteng, Esmeralda had done nothing but move toward this goal.
Everyone who burned the village must die.
Everyone who caused her sorrow had to pay.
She would give them a taste of the pain of loss.
But—
‘Do I really... have to?’
Each time she burned someone alive, her hatred swelled beyond control.
And the more it did, the more innocent lives were caught in the flames.
Her hatred grew too strong for her to contain.
And the more it did, the more her soul began to shatter.
As a spirit mage, Esmeralda could feel her soul falling into corruption.
And a corrupted soul was dangerous.
If things continued this way, she would no longer be able to return to who she once was.
That was why—
Why she had drawn upon the pure memories of her past...
...and shaped them into a second personality.
“Selina.”
A poor child, still pure—unlike the one she had become.
A separate persona she had created.
The other half of her soul.
That child knew nothing.
She didn’t know that when she fell asleep, a monster awakened.
That the monster killed people in her place.
Esmeralda didn’t want her to know.
Selina was the last remaining piece of her innocent past.
She didn’t want that innocence to be ruined like she had been.
Still—
Every so often, Esmeralda couldn’t help but envy Selina.
“Sometimes... I really am jealous of you.”
The truth was, more than anyone, it was Esmeralda herself who longed to live like before.
But the contract she made with the Zero Order made that impossible.
They had promised to help her avenge herself on the Febius family—
—but once the revenge was complete, she would obey their command.
That was the condition the Zero Order gave when they brought her in.
And the one who accepted it was her—driven mad with rage.
“...Maybe... I should run away. Even now.”
Now—while the madness hadn’t yet consumed her reason.
Now, while she still had a shred of sanity, might be her last chance.
Give up the final revenge. Abandon everything and vanish.
She could start over.
Maybe not like before—but maybe...
[Esmeralda.]
“...!”
A flare of flame bloomed in the darkness, and Esmeralda flinched violently.
[Don’t tell me you’re thinking of giving up your revenge. You’d just let the man who killed us all walk free?]
Blazing hands gently caressed her shoulders.
A chill ran down her spine.
The dreadful energy of the flame seeped into her.
[You have to avenge us. Because you’re—]
—a good girl, aren’t you?
At those words, Esmeralda’s trembling body went still.
A single tear streamed down from her vacant red eyes.
“...Right.”
Madness eclipsed reason.
A smile crept across Esmeralda’s previously expressionless lips.
“I’ll have my revenge.”
She smiled emptily—
Just as she had when they called her the Witch of Flame, who burned everything to ashes.
* * *
The final day of the festival had arrived.
People were more eager than ever to enjoy every last moment of the <Magical Festival>.
Seorn had prepared a grand fireworks display for the final day to leave everyone with an unforgettable memory.
The festival’s final event would take place beneath the dark night sky.
And under that sky, the crowd gathered, waiting for the spectacle to begin.
“So many.”
At the top of a tower overlooking the entire festival square—
Ludger stood, muttering quietly as he looked down on the sea of lights.
All of it—those lights—represented people’s lives, their joy, their memories.
But the place he needed to go wasn’t among that radiant crowd.
It was a place darker than any alley lit by a dim streetlamp.
A place shrouded in deep, unacknowledged shadow.
That would be his stage tonight.
[Boss. He’s on the move.]
“Got it.”
Ending his call with Hans, Ludger cloaked himself in shadow.
And like melting ink, his figure vanished from atop the tower.
